BLOG: Don't dismiss Justin Bieber too soon

The ring tone on Joanne Fraser's cellphone is Justin Bieber's U Smile and she's bought all the Bieber-related paraphernalia you can imagine. "The nail polish, the bracelets, the posters, the cardboard cutout, the blanket, you name it."

But Fraser is not your average Bieber fan. She's a 32-year-old photographer from the small southern Ontario town of Picton.

And the paraphernalia isn't really hers. At least not completely. Asked if the pop sensation-branded items are for her 13-year-old daughter, Brooke, or herself, Fraser laughs. "A bit of both," she says.

Fraser became enamoured of the mop-topped 16-year-oldwhen her daughter introduced her to his videoson YouTube , the website where the Stratford, Ont.-raised teen was discovered.

Even Fraser's obsession with the teen idols of her ownday, New Kids on the Block, didn't come close to rivalling her interest in Bieber."I wasn't this obsessed," she acknowledges, sheepishly. "I wasn't as bad."

So whydoes an adult obsess so much over a teen idol? A large part of Fraser's interest in Bieber has to do with his positiveinfluence on her daughter and other teens.

"He's wholesome, he's cute and he's from a town in Ontario, so it shows these kids they can actually do something beyond the small towns," Fraser says. "He loves his parents. He's very respectful and I wouldn't want my daughter looking up to anybody else really."

Onlineomnipresence

Bieber may seem like just another teen idol, says pop culture expert Scott Henderson, but theteen with the signature mane shouldn't be dismissed outright.

"There is mockery out there, an adult disdain, or the older teen disdain, but I think it's significant for young people,"says Henderson, associate professor in communication, pop culture and film at Brock University in St. Catharines. "They believe that Bieber is the greatest musician who has ever existed. So be it. I think it's belittling to young people to simply dismiss their beliefs."

In Torontoon Tuesday to promote his upcoming movie, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, the soon-to-be-17-year-old addressed the haters,denying he's a manufactured sensationand calling himselfa"regular teenage boy" living out a dream.

Like other professors, Henderson has studied the phenomenon that is Bieber. He first learned about the singer when his teenage daughter joined an anti-Bieber Facebook group.

More important, Henderson notes that Bieber, or the Biebs as he is fondly known, is anundeniably huge brand and as such,one worth paying attention to.

"I couldn't hum you a Justin Bieber tune," Henderson says. "I'm not even sure if I've heard one all the way through but I know lots and lots about Justin Bieber."

Even if those who wouldn't recognize the chorus of the smash hit Baby might have seen Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent, 80, gravelyreading excerpts of Bieber's memoir,First Step 2 Forever: My Story, glimpsedBieber's face on the cover of Vanity Fair ornoticed his appearance on crime drama CSI.

Itis even harder to ignore Bieber in his natural habitat: cybersphere.

Last month, a San Francisco-based social networking index,Klout, declared Bieber the most influential person in the social media universe.Klout used a complicated series of algorithms to calculate tweets, LinkedIn connections, Google mentions and other social media factors. Bieber rated the highest possible score at 100, while the Dalai Lama came in at 90 and Lady Gagaat 89.

"Whether we know his songs or not, we still know him," Henderson says. "We can't kind of escape that omnipresence."

Pop confection

Ken McLeod, a University of Toronto assistant professor in music history and culture, notes that while Bieber may not be his cup of tea, theteen's musicisn't so bad.

"I don't think it's musically inept," says McLeod, who first learned of Bieber through his music, not the entertaining videos and blogsso often posted about his latest adventures. "I don't think it's particularly brilliant either. I think it's OK."

This may not be a ringing endorsement forthe music, which he describes as "Eminem-meets-New Kids on the Block," but his point is that Bieber is what he is.

"I don't see why people are so upset,"McLeod says. "It's the latest, greatest pop confection. And so what. It's the nature of the industry."

McLeod notes that some musicians evenappear to take Bieber's work seriously, covering his songs as drastically rearranged but 'heartfelt love songs.'

Others, like University of British Columbia commerce student Rebecca Abel, openly declares their "love of the Biebs." In hermarketing-focused blog,Abel details lessons to be learned from the meteoric rise in Bieber's fame.

"Clearly his management and PR teams are doing something right," she gushes.

It is, after all,Bieber's successful use of online engagement that distinguishes him from previous teen idols.

The story goes that his mother, Pattie Mallette,posted videos to YouTube of her son singing covers.One of the videos wasspotted by an American talent agent, and music industry heavyweights Usher and Justin Timberlake then battled to sign him. The rest is history.

His swift rise was,no doubt,also helped by his Twitter presence.He eventaught late-nighthost David Lettermanon Monday's showabout the "Twitterdevice" andgently explained to him why he uses it.

"It's just cool to let the fans know," hetold the perplexed host.

Bieber would know. He's written morethan 7,200 Tweets later and hasnearlyseven million followers.

But if his adept use of the web, his wholesome charm, his not-so-bad music and his marketing prowess aren't enough to light the smallest spark of interest, Fraser has another reason to pay attention.

"You should support your own, really," she says. "If he's Canadian, support him. He did something great with his life."

Or perhaps just enjoy the Bieber stories for their pure entertainment value.